The Social Video Masterclass for Business

Scroll through any social network today, and it is quickly apparent that social media—and maybe the internet as a whole—belongs to video. By 2022, research suggests that 82% of global internet traffic will come from video. Billions and billions of those video views are coming from social media. Everywhere you look, content that used to be shared in a blog post or text post is now being shared in video format. And it’s no wonder—videos perform better and are more engaging than text-only or image posts across all the major social networks.

So how do you get a slice of that engagement for your brand? We’ve done months of research on what makes some videos perform better than others.

Video on Twitter

Twitter is well-suited to audience awareness and engagement—especially if it relates to current events—so leverage brand stories and your most timely content. It’s also a fantastic network for brands who want to take a stand. Consider Gillette’s “We Believe” video ad—it generated 13 million views the first day it went live on Twitter, and was closing in on 30 million views within a week.

Video on Facebook

Facebook is home to a totally different type of video content than Twitter. Users engage with videos of their families, causes they support, cute animal videos, and carpool karaoke. Keep in mind the type of content you’ll be surrounded by in this context, and produce videos that are innately shareable, down-to-earth, and personal.

Video on LinkedIn

Video has taken LinkedIn by storm, and it’s a particularly valuable audience for B2B marketers. Think about it—45% of LinkedIn users are upper management, meaning they’re the decision-makers you want to target! Videos on this channel should provide professional value to the viewer: help them become better at their job in some way, whether it’s a video that shows them how to be a power user of your product, or a video that explains best practices in your industry.

Video on YouTube

You didn’t think we were going to skip YouTube, did you? YouTube is now the second-most trafficked website in the world after Google, and it’s an excellent tool for being discovered through search (no accident, considering it’s owned by the world’s largest search engine). Long-form content is a natural fit for YouTube, since the average viewer sticks around for over eight minutes. Aim for a friendly, conversational tone and consider putting some of your company’s most engaging personalities in front of the camera. It should be fun to watch!

Live Streaming on Social

Live streaming is the next frontier for social media marketers. Some key best practices that apply across the board are:

• Tailor your production level to the content. The most casual live streams can be just you and a mobile device. The most extreme involve broadcast-level set-ups.

• Engage your viewers with specific calls-to-action. Example: A simple “Hit ‘like’ if you agree” can send your reaction numbers sky-high with minimal effort.

• Stream for at least ten minutes. Most live streams pick up new audience members as they go, meaning you’ll miss out on viewers if you cut the stream short.